Flooded street or viaduct? Report it straight to 311 and warn your neighbors on the live map. Offendr gets your flood report to the city instantly — and shows you where else water is pooling near you.
Chicago's flat topography and aging infrastructure makes flooding a recurring problem. Fast reporting helps the city dispatch pumping crews and warns neighbors away from dangerous water. Offendr makes that immediate.
Quick email sign-in, then you're set. Your GPS location pins automatically when you open the report screen.
A photo documents the severity and extent of flooding. Never approach flooded viaducts or moving water for a photo — your safety comes first.
Your report goes directly to Chicago 311 via the Open311 API. You get a service request number immediately. Neighbors can see your report on the map in real time.
Offendr updates your report's status as the city responds. Your pin on the map warns other Offendr users in the area while the flooding persists.
Reporting an issue takes seconds. Offendr keeps you connected to everything else happening in your neighborhood — the problems, the projects, and the people fixing things.
See every active report near you on a live map. Check before you file — if the issue is already reported, confirm it with a tap rather than creating a duplicate. Multiple confirmations carry more weight with the city.
Always onNeighbors can start community projects — a block cleanup, a park restoration — and invite others to join. Projects live on the map and move from active to completed when the work is done. The civic coordination 311 can't provide.
Organize togetherReal local Chicago news surfaced by proximity to what you're already looking at on the map. No algorithm optimizing for outrage — just what's happening near you from Block Club Chicago, the Tribune, NBC Chicago and more.
Stay informedLocal volunteer opportunities from Chicago organizations surfaced alongside neighborhood incidents. Park cleanups, community gardens, mutual aid networks. The good things happening on your block deserve the same visibility as the problems.
Give backCommunity members share events pinned to the map — block parties, neighborhood meetings, local fundraisers. Your neighborhood's calendar, built by the people who actually live there.
What's on near youChicago's relatively flat terrain and combined sewer system — which handles both storm water and sewage — makes it particularly vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain events. Viaduct flooding is especially dangerous: underpasses can fill with water in minutes during a heavy storm, and the depth is impossible to judge from a vehicle. Every year, Chicago sees preventable accidents when drivers enter flooded viaducts.
The city of Chicago's Department of Water Management operates mobile pumping stations that respond to flood reports. Response time depends on the number of simultaneous events and the severity — major storms can create dozens of flood situations across the city simultaneously. Filing a 311 report through Offendr ensures your location is in the dispatch queue.
Beyond immediate dispatch, Offendr's live map serves a warning function: your flood report appears as a visible pin for other users in the area, alerting them to avoid the location before they encounter it. This community warning layer is something the city's 311 system can't provide on its own.
For basement flooding, the process is different — contact the Department of Water Management's sewer section directly, as this often involves infrastructure inspection rather than street-level pumping. Offendr's notes field lets you specify basement vs. street flooding when you file your report.
Beyond flooding, Offendr routes reports for potholes, graffiti, abandoned vehicles, broken streetlights, and illegal dumping — all from the same app.
Everything you need to know.
Report flooding, warn your neighbors on the live map, and stay connected to everything happening on your block.
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